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Now that Watson has run off to join the Tea Party (see blog entry below), his singer-songwriter companion, Jonathan Hoffman, has accepted a gig to sing at a marshmallow roast. The marshmallow gig is being held in conjunction with the Vietnamese Heritage Camp in Estes Park, Colorado, July 29-31. Hoffman's daughter, Gracie Linh Hoffman (pictured at right) was born in Vietnam. So why has a singer-songwriter--and recording artist--of Hoffman's supposed stature been relegated to a mere marshmallow roast? While touring with former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin on the Refudiation Express, Shelterdog Watson retorted: "Without me, he's just another singer-songwriter. And he's not really a songwriter. After all, I wrote those songs. He just stole all the credit because he has the fancy guitar, the word processor, and the opposable thumbs. And, frankly, he's not much of a singer, either. If you listen to "Blue Yellow Lab," I'm the one doing all the good blues how…

One song has affected everything else I'm been writing or working on for decades. It's called "The Ballad of Phil Ochs." It's supposed to be on my forthcoming CD, "Reflection." You may never hear it, though. Stay tuned.

So here's the background of that song, and why I wrote it to someone else's tune. The labor song, "Joe Hill," was written by Alfred Hayes and Earl Robinson in the depths of the Depression in 1936. Workers were struggling to survive. The New Deal was finding ways to employ some of the unemployed workers. And the National Labor Relations Act in 1935 finally allowed workers to try to unionize without harassment. But workers who got jobs at all usually worked for extremely low wages and had few rights.

"Joe Hill" was written and sung on the picket lines during the Great Depression, decades before the protest songs of the 1960s. Many of the greats of modern folk music were inspired by Joe Hill--both the man hi…

Grace Linh Hoffman, who is running Watson's campaign, is little known, but we've manages to get a little bit of information, and even this picture of her getting ready to stump for Watson in frigid New Hampshire. In addition, rumor has it that she is reportedly planning for her own campaign in the 2044 election. Well, here she is, recently adopted from Vietnam. How have the dogs reacted to the newest member of the Hoffman household? Watson, preoccupied with his campaign, was unavailable for comment. Cricket, however, responded, saying, "I am a mother to all the world's puppies." We're not sure what that means, but Cricket has been observed encouraging Gracie to use her little nose to best effect.